Nancy Steele
Observation is key to my practice, but often not possible outdoors during January’s cold. So I enjoy making interior landscapes, taking myself to my living room, dining room, kitchen and even the bathroom to paint. There are times though when I want to listen to an art video or podcast so I make room in my studio for a still life setup. I am intrigued by the push and pull of random objects adjacent to each other. Colours interacting on many levels in values temperatures and strengths. Forms joisting for dimensional prominence in an organized picture plane. I am also intrigued by how the hands and body move to place objects specific to each other. In “Red Glass, Red Cabbage” oil on loose canvas on board 12”x12”, I felt and saw the pull between random objects, glass pitcher, hand blown drinking glass, avocado, lemons, apples and cabbage, as they struggled for dominance in the picture plane. Humorously, this work reminds me of contestants warming up on a dance floor before the big competition.
Red Glass, Red Cabbage
Oil on cradled board, 12” x 12” $450
For years, Nancy Steele worked in metal fabrication, forming sculptural pieces in brass, copper, sterling silver and gold. These were wearable jewellery pieces, boxes and mounted wall structures. For her, it was like drawing in the air. She designed from a place of creative impulse, of wonder and curiosity. Later she took this “what if… “and “how could…” approach to her work in painting and drawing. She loves to teach, paint portraits and landscapes, research and explore art materials and surfaces. She has shown at the Robert McLaughlin Gallery and the Station Gallery, Art Noise and Window Gallery. Also, participated in shows such as One of a Kind and Kingston Square Foot Show. Her work has received recognition in art competitions as well as with many art collectors and patrons. She has been a juror for several community art groups and continues to be the principle curator for the Wolfe Island Gallery. She studied at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, Queen’s University and Academy of Realist Art and considers Daniel Hughes figurative artist a mentor. For Nancy, continuing education is a life long pursuit.